Thus Kindly I Scatter
by Ophiuchus Moon
Summary: A prequel to RWBY, follow Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Raven and Qrow Branwen as they form Team STRQ, one of Ozpin's most brilliant teams from Beacon. Each team member has their own story and background, and the new teammates have difficulty bonding, especially since they have half the time most other students get.
1. Thus Kindly I Scatter

Snow drifted to cover the forest in a powdery white blanket. A flutter of a shadow revealed a lone girl trailing through the woods like a ghost. Her silver-white cloak blended with the snow, but her dark hair and dress peeked from the folds. Snowfall filled the tracks her boots left behind.

A broken moon shone over a cabin in the middle of the woods. A careless huntsman had dropped a stiletto knife nearby. The hooded girl picked it up with a smile and etched onto the base of a tree: Summer Rose scattered here.

Summer Rose was not a liar. She slipped the knife into her bullet belt, and then her hand vanished. The door to the cabin opened with a creak.

Summer's hand reappeared, its pallor an eerie contrast to her dark sleeve. She entered the cabin, and the door closed behind her, plunging her into darkness.

Candles lit in the shape of a pentagram, and a beautiful woman with long, indigo hair rose from the middle of the star. Her voice was low and smooth, a legato melody that concealed malice and an unfathomable rage. "Welcome to my home, intruder."

Summer glanced around the candlelit room. Wood shifted, and the flames grew brighter, better illuminating the sorceress's lair. Huntsmen and huntresses lay on the floor in various states of consciousness. Most were unresponsive to the light, while others groaned, clutching their stomachs. "You're the witch of the woods."

The witch's purple lips stretched into a sneer. "Many call me that, though a witch is but a derogatory term for an unlicensed huntress with an aptitude for using dust. My name is Meng Baixue. My parents dreamed of a snowy holiday season when I was born."

"Would they be proud?"

"They are at peace," Meng hissed, "because they are no longer of this world of Grimm."

The shadowy monsters were drawn to the pain of Meng's captives. Summer whipped out a crimson glaive from the back of her dress. "Scatter, Rose's Thorns!" The hooked prongs of Rose's Thorns resembled bladed petals as the glaive followed a seemingly unpredictable arc, severing the Grimm wolves.

White hands coaxed the wounded huntsmen and huntresses to leave the cabin. Summer's head bobbed in front of a fearful huntsman. "Do not fear. I've come to rescue you."

"Your head—your body!"

Summer's mouth twitched into a smile. "My semblance is Scatter," she explained. "I can sever any part of my body for up to a few minutes at a time. See?" She popped off her nose like a famous character from one of her favourite fairy tales, and the poor huntsman screamed.

Meng drove a white dust crystal between the logs forming her wall, and ice burst into her home, sending wood splinters everywhere. Summer struggled to keep her balance on the icy floor. When she caught Rose's Thorns, she lurched forward and used her free hand to throw herself into the air, feet first.

Rose's Thorns followed another zigzag path, breaking the icicles that hung from the cabin's ceiling. Pale fingers guided the glaive in its complicated pattern. Heavy combat boots broke through Meng's indigo Aura. When the witch of the woods fell, blood trickled from her forehead.

As Summer's body pieced itself back together—legs, then torso, then upper limbs and finally her head and nose—police and paramedics arrived to take care of Meng and the huntresses and huntsmen. Summer did not stay behind for the repercussions. She scattered herself and followed Rose's Thorns deeper into the woods. A couple officers stared at the rose-like glaive and the body parts in the moonlight. One muttered, "Scattered moon does strange things. I heard people hallucinate more when the moon is broken."

A giggle sang through the cold night air amid the snowflakes. Perched on a branch, Summer took a bite of a cosmic crisp. Her favourite fruit was apples, and cosmic crisp, with its white speckles like stars, was her favourite kind of apple.


	2. The Sun Burns Brighter

"The final match will commence soon," Mr. Gracilis announced. "On the challenger side of the arena, we have Yueliang Xiao Feng!"

A tall, broad-shouldered man with silver hair and a gray hue in his skin cracked his neck. His lip curled back, revealing a metallic molar. In his left hand was a sickle sword with characters engraved on the handle.

"And on the defender side of the arena, the current top student of Signal Academy, Taiyang Xiao Long!"

Tai waved at the cheering crowd. A group of girls screamed his name, and he blew them a kiss. With his golden-blond hair and sun-graced skin, he was the epitome of sunshine and glory, the golden boy exemplar of Signal.

Mr. Gracilis continued, "As a reminder, the final match is the last part of your exit exam. Whoever wins will graduate Signal with a perfect A+ on their transcript. The runner-up will receive an A-. The top eight will graduate with a B+, the top sixteen will finish with B-. The mark you receive may determine an acceptance or rejection from Beacon Academy."

Mr. Gracilis didn't agree with his school's grading system, which put a lot of stress on teenagers still developing their fighting abilities. But Beacon demanded the best, and Principal Necrosis would give them the best from Signal.

Tai held out his left hand, empty and seemingly unarmed. "May the best fighter win, and no hard feelings, Liang."

Mr. Gracilis declared, "Battle—begin!"

Liang didn't accept Tai's proffered hand. He swung his sickle blade at the golden boy's wrist, depleting a chunk of Tai's Aura.

"Damn," Tai muttered, staring at the white glow where Liang had nicked at. Aura protected him from blood loss and any real pain, but if he lost all his Aura, the fight was over. He glared at Liang. "So that's how you want—"

Liang slashed again before Tai could finish his sentence. This time, the golden-haired fighter was ready. A bronze dagger appeared at his hand, formerly hidden beneath his armband. The sickle dragged across Tai's dagger with a grating metal sound. The audience cringed as the blades pressed against each other.

"We see Mr. Xiao Feng's Semblance at work, students!" Mr. Gracilis announced with nervous glee. "Mr. Xiao Feng's Semblance—Gravity—lures opponents in and prevents them from retreating. It's like the yellow moon pulling the tide into shore."

"I'm not running away from this fight," Tai assured the spectators. There was no escaping a yellow moon, which haunted oceanside homes, and there was no escaping his vicious opponent. The boat never leaves home, read the inscription on the moon-shaped weapon. While Liang grimaced, Tai grinned, activating his own Semblance.

Warm light filled the arena. Skin sizzled, and Liang recoiled with a hiss, his hand flying to his forehead. There was no burn mark, but the area radiated heat.

"While Mr. Xiao Feng's Semblance represents the yellow moon," Mr. Gracilis spoke faster in his excitement, "Mr. Xiao Long's Semblance is the sun that burns brighter than the moon that merely reflects the star's light! Photon is a powerful Semblance indeed as it mimics the high-energy light waves given off by the sun and concentrates them to a specific point—in this case, the skin over Mr. Xiao Feng's frontalis!"

Tai slipped his dagger back into his armband and shoved his fingers into his weapon of choice—a set of heavy brass knuckles. Blades were good for defense, but Tai liked to get close for offense. Before Liang could recover from Tai's Photon, the sun warrior pummeled his opponent with a barrage of punches. Sensing his opponent's Aura rapidly depleting, Tai took a few steps back.

Liang's panting made his arms unsteady as he clicked a button on his sickle, which straightened into a gun's barrel.

Tai leaped into the air, dodging the platinum-encased bullets. He landed in a heavy kick that knocked his opponent to the ground. The last of Liang's silver Aura faded, and a bruise formed on the back of his head.

A silent pause hung over the arena. Tai cast his gaze down. "I don't care about the grade," he murmured. "But I'd never lose to you."

Liang's violet eyes narrowed as years of history flashed between the two boys—the taunts, the bullying, beating each other up until they heaved. Now that they were graduating Signal, all of it would end. Tai's perfect transcript practically guaranteed him a place in Beacon, where he would train to be a huntsman. Someday, they might need to work together as fellow huntsmen, or Liang's path would take him far, far away. Either way, their animosity was over.

"Mr. Xiao Long is Signal's champion!" Mr. Gracilis screamed, and the crowd roared in approval.


	3. Blackbirds Baked in Pie

They moved like blackbirds in the night. The girl's long black hair fanned behind her like raven feathers, and the boy's slippers were silent as he ran along the top of the wall.

"I'll be back in half an hour, Qrow," the girl said, taking charge of their duo.

"Got it, Raven."

Raven nodded and ran ahead as her younger twin brother perched on the top of the wall. She slipped between the bars of the iron gate and then sprinted to the dark castle. The block heels of her boots crunched on dead leaves and fine bones.

"Oy! What are you doing up there, boy?"

Raven didn't look back, trusting Qrow—and his Semblance.

"I'm taking a rest," Qrow told the guard. "You got a problem with that?"

"Yes! This is private property. Anyway, that wall is rotten; it can crumble at any time."

Qrow patted his perch. It seemed stable to him, but he could feel the shifting wood beneath his hand, an infinitesimal vibration. He smiled. "That would be my misfortune."

The guard narrowed his eyes. "Don't you care?"

Qrow unsheathed his sword and dropped from the wall. He barely reached the guard's shoulder, but size meant nothing to fortune—or Misfortune. "I'm a harbinger." The gears in his sword shifted, and it elongated into a hook around the guard's neck.

The guard glanced at the blade at his skin and narrowed his eyes. "You dare to try to follow in the footsteps of the Grimm Reaper?"

"She's a legend."

The guard melted into fluid, escaping Harbinger. He solidified behind Qrow, his beefy hands grabbing the boy's neck. "And you're history."

Qrow leaned into the guard, pinning him to the wall. Glass broke at the guard's waist. Qrow clicked his tongue. "What a pity—was that a new scroll?"

The guard released Qrow and reached for his pocket, revealing a mirror cracked into pieces. He slammed his fist into the wall and let the mirror's fragments drop. "Dammit, this was a gift from Gretchen. You'll pay!"

The wall crumbled onto the guard, burying him in rotten wood. Qrow coughed from the dust. All he had to do was wait. Flying Grimm circled overhead, drawn by the guard's acute fear from breaking the mirror. Qrow grinned; with his Semblance, waiting for Raven was hardly boring.

Raven's task was the boring one, navigating the labyrinthine castle. The Queen of Diamonds kept a torture device in one of her training rooms that the Branwen Tribe wanted to use as punishment for miscreants within their clan; also, stealing from the Grimm-like queen would boost their reputation.

Raven found a petite girl dressed in traditional red and gold using the torture device like she was training herself. Her legs pumped and she breathed heavily, working hard but going nowhere. Raven stared in fascination at the mechanical motions, wondering how anyone could find such monotone and repetition beneficial.

"Excellent, Cinder." A woman's low voice jolted Raven, who pressed herself close to the wall. Her heart fluttered like a blackbird that would dare to escape, and she thought, I am Raven Branwen. I am the eldest daughter of Rook Branwen. I will be a leader and I must recognize there are greater forces, but I will be the greatest of all.

She didn't really believe it, but it helped calm her breathing. Someday, perhaps it would become truth. Cinder got off the torture device and bowed. "Your praise humbles me, Your Grace."

"Follow me."

Raven leaned to see where the Queen of Diamonds would take Cinder. The beads on her neck clinked. The tall, white-haired woman did not turn back, but Cinder narrowed her eyes, trying to find the intruder.

Raven held her breath. Cinder was beautiful and frightening, and Raven did not want to get caught. It wouldn't look good for the Branwen Tribe.

When Cinder and the Queen were gone, Raven strode to the torture device. She sat on the lumpy seat and winced. The handlebars were slick with Cinder's sweat, and she wiped her hands on her shorts. She unsheathed Omen and thought of her little brother, waiting loyally outside the palace. Kindred Link allowed her to create a portal to the people closest to her: Qrow and Rook.

A crimson portal appeared when she slashed her sword through the air. Raven kicked the torture device into the portal and then hopped after. Qrow's Harbinger swept in an arc to dispatch several Grimm. Raven balanced on the handlebars of the torture device to finish the remaining Grimm in one clean stroke.

"Bravo," said a man. His grey hair and cane made him appear older, though he stood erect and walked with ease. "The two of you have great potential." His emerald eyes glowed with hunger. "It would be a shame if it was wasted."

Raven pointed Omen at him. "What do you want?"

Ozpin smiled. "What's your favourite fairy tale?"

The girl in the tower. The boy with two souls. The blackbirds baked in a pie. "Blackbird."

Qrow shrugged. "I always liked The Little Red Riding Hood."

"Both are classics," Ozpin agreed. "Now tell me: do you believe in magic?"

Qrow laughed, but Raven sensed that Ozpin wasn't playing with them. "I can believe it if you have magic."

Qrow couldn't stop laughing. He'd fall and cut himself on his scythe if he kept going. "I'll believe it," he said between fits of laughter, "if you give us magic!"

Ozpin's smile never wavered. The two young fighters disappeared, and two corvid feathers drifted down where they stood.


	4. Stark

Headmaster Ozpin walked along the edge of the grassy cliff, swinging his cane as though without a care in the world. Though the chill from winter still hung in the early spring air, steam puffed from his mug of never-ending coffee. "You know the drill, students. It would have been in your best interests to have prepared your landing strategies."

He winked at Raven and Qrow. The elder Branwen sibling rolled her eyes, but Qrow relished the attention as the pretty blonde girl on his other side blinked at him.

A girl named Summer went first. Her silver cloak blew among the clouds as the launcher shot her into the air. Her body was nowhere to be found, and a young man exclaimed, "By golly, her head's popped off!"

Tai laughed as his launcher catapulted him next. He was a firecracker in the sunlight, his hair like a golden flame and his laughter infectious. Qrow noticed his sister staring and whistled.

Raven narrowed his eyes at him and said to Ozpin, "Send us both at the same time."

"As you wish, Miss Branwell."

Raven and Qrow soared through the air and, at the same time, turned into corvids. While Raven swooped to fly ahead, Qrow circled around Ozpin and the other students. Between Summer's horrific Semblance and the Branwen siblings' magic, a few students had fainted. Several others ran away. No one else was launched into the air.

There were three future huntresses or huntsman for Qrow to partner with. While he loved his sister, he wanted to branch off and make new connections. It would be more beneficial for their tribe, too. But his Semblance made him hesitate finding a partner—he wanted to be connected, but he wouldn't wish Misfortune on anyone. Even the golden firecracker his sister had taken a fancy to.

As Qrow flew in circles, gradually descending, his wings got caught in a fluttering cloak. He squawked as he reverted to human, sprawled in the soft fabric. His fingers laced a smaller hand, and silver eyes stared back at him from a severed head.

He screamed.

A boot kicked him away, and he yowled in pain. "What the hell! How do you do that?!"

Summer appeared before him, whole and cloaked. She bit into a silver-speckled apple and glared at him for a few seconds as she chewed. After she swallowed, she retorted, "I could ask you the same thing. My Semblance is rare but not impossible, if you understand the way matter flows through various media. Air is easiest, obviously, but wood is straightforward, too... that's beside the point. Turning into a bird isn't possible according to the laws governing physics, Semblances, the world of Remnant..."

"What about magic?" Qrow interrupted.

Summer stared at Qrow. She didn't laugh or ridicule him, nor did she distrust him. She seemed thoughtful, actually considering the possibility. "Now, that changes things. I guess with magic, anything is possible."

Qrow hoped so.

Tai played the infinite possibilities in his head as he marched through the woods. His partner could be the petite girl in the silver cloak whose head popped off during her fall. It could be the pretty blonde who paid attention to Headmaster Ozpin like the studious student Tai had been at Signal. It could be the Gothic emo with bags under his amber eyes whose name itself was a harbinger but made him more interesting. It could be that boy's beautiful sister, who'd roll her eyes at the headmaster and wore her enemies' teeth cased in ebony—

Raven Branwen waited, cross-legged on a flat boulder in a glade. She nodded at Tai, silently accepting him as her partner, and strode toward the heart of the Emerald Forest, where Ozpin's trophies awaited.

Tai followed, entranced by the swishing of the red bandanna at her waist.

Only four trophies waited at the stone glade. Raven chose first, picking up a bronze stele. Tai whistled as he tossed a tennis ball between his hands, feeling the weight of it. Qrow took hold of an iron horseshoe. Summer stood back as her teammates chose their trophies, and accepted the last one: a stark, white rose.

The scent of honey wafted toward them. Tai grinned. "A treat for the winners!"

A Nevermore squawked overhead as it also tried to pinpoint the source of the aroma, only to detect four teenagers clutching onto false trophies.

Raven scoffed. "What a treat."

Tai glanced at his new partner and then charged into battle, trusting her to be at his side. He jumped as high as he could. Raven turned into a corvid so he could grab her. She reverted to human just as he propelled himself into the air, her weight launching him far higher than any person could jump on their own.

Tai landed on the Nevermore and began pummelling it with his brass knuckles, his Semblance, Photon, singeing its feathers. Raven turned back to a corvid so she could fly and join him. Just as she lifted Omen to bring down and finish the Grimm, its orange eye shifted and it squawked in horror. The Nevermore spasmed violently, shaking Tai and Raven off.

Raven hastily created a portal to land beside her brother, who finally unsheathed Harbinger. He could be slow in a fight, Raven noted with annoyance. I'm not his partner, so he's no longer my liability. His partner—

Summer scattered to catch the falling firecracker. When she reformed, it gave way to a brief comical moment when the smallest member of their team carried the largest team member. Summer dropped him onto the emerald-like grass, and the four sought shelter among the stone pillars. Unfortunately, the honey aroma was stronger here, and the Nevermore would pursue them soon. A buzz surrounded them like a warning.

"We need to coordinate better," Summer said. "We need a shared purpose."

I already have a purpose, thought Raven, though it's not as noble as you naïve students. "We have a purpose: kill the Grimm."

"No," Summer said. You think too narrow-mindedly, Branwen. "We're here to become huntresses and huntsmen. To do that, we need to return to Ozpin with his trophies, as a team."

Raven narrowed her eyes at the smaller girl. "I thought huntsmen protected people, by defeating the Grimm that would instill fear and commit grave massacres. Yet you want to run away."

Summer lifted her chin. "We're saving this fight."

Tai looked back and forth between the arguing women, caught in their tension. Qrow spoke up. "I think I brought the Nevermore to us."

"Don't be so full of yourself," Tai joked. "It likes the honey, not you."

Qrow held up his hand, which was stuck in a hive that bumblebees buzzed angrily around. Sticky fluid from Forever Falls dripped down his arm. "I am the honey."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "You really got us into a sticky situation, honey."

Summer laughed, and Tai and Qrow both smiled like fools at her. Raven rolled her eyes. "Damn you, Qrow," she muttered as she slashed the hive off her brother's hand, his Aura protecting him from Omen's blade.

Summer watched with intent. "I have an idea."

Seconds later, Tai rode on the Nevermore, grinning like a maniac. The Grimm soared through the sky back to the cliff, baited by Qrow, who dangled in front of it, waving his honey-drenched arm. Summer's severed arm held onto him. Her boots hung on the Nevermore's crooked talons, Tai carried her body, and her head rested on Raven, who flew beside the Nevermore as a corvid.

When they approached the cliff, Summer released Qrow. He landed in a roll on the soft grass where Ozpin waited, and whirled around. As the gears on Harbinger turned his sword to a scythe like that of the Grimm Reaper, his teammates did their part. Summer stuck her limbs into the Grimm, and Tai burned the Nevermore's feathers, ruining its flight.

Raven reverted to human mid-air. As she fell, she slashed Omen down to create a portal that she and the Nevermore went through.

Qrow swung Harbinger. Raven dodged by flying away. Tai landed beside Qrow, facing the opposite direction.

Qrow's scythe split the Nevermore into two, freeing their remaining teammate. Summer's limbs scattered before merging into the petite girl that balanced on Harbinger as she whipped out Rose's Thorns and finished off the Grimm.

The beast dissolved like ash, its blood scattering like rose petals. Summer dropped into a curtsy directed to Ozpin. Tai followed her lead and bowed. Qrow turned to face the silver-haired magician, who lifted his mug of still-steaming coffee as a toast to them.

Raven landed a little away, facing the Emerald Forest with a wistful expression on her face. She wanted to replay the flight over and over until the memory became reality again. She looked at her teammates, and the verdant scenery shifted to a pewter auditorium.

"Taiyang Xiao Long," Ozpin announced, "Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen." Raven met the Headmaster's emerald gaze through his spectacles. "Raven Branwen. The four of you will form Team STRQ, led by Miss Summer Rose."

Summer hid her shock at being chosen. Ozpin peered over his tiny spectacles and said, "Lead your team with purpose, Miss Rose."

"I will."

Ozpin addressed the new team. "Since you are the only team in your cohort, you will be placed in an accelerated class. A four-year curriculum will be condensed into two years. I trust you will handle it well."

Raven and Qrow restrained themselves from looking at each other. Graduating early would be beneficial for their tribe, but not if they didn't have enough time to collect information. Tai, the eager student, jumped in excitement. Even Summer couldn't quite suppress her excitement and nervousness. "We will!"


	5. Misfortune

Qrow stared at himself in the mirror. His black hair was as unruly as ever, and he picked out feathers from when he'd transformed into a corvid during one of Team STRQ's intense training sessions. His dark outfit clung to his torso and legs, the cloth feeling foreign and more uncomfortable than powerful. But what did Qrow Branwen know about fashion? Summer Rose, the team's leader and fashionista, had helped him pick his outfit. A golden cross adorned the low collar, supposedly a good luck charm.

Qrow must have stared too hard at the mirror, because a crack split it down the middle. "Just what I need," he muttered. He texted Tai to file a report for the poor heating system in their room—though he could have done it himself, faculty responded better to Team STRQ's golden firecracker, who charmed the secretaries and got along with everyone. They'd already noticed that whenever Qrow was around, more documents were lost and coffee spilled. Qrow was a bad luck charm, after all; not even Summer's cross could negate that, though he appreciated the gift.

Qrow strolled through the city—prowled would be a more accurate way to describe the way he walked. Trained to hunt in shadowy woods by his tribe, his knees bent as he distributed his weight across his entire foot with each step, making his gait quieter than a shadow. While people adored Tai, liked Summer well enough, and stayed away from Raven for their own good, they stared at Qrow like he was a monster in their midst.

Qrow didn't let their awful gazes deter him. In an accelerated class, a day off was rarer than a purple moon. Other students got weekends and the spring break, plus summer vacation and the special holiday of Halloween, though Qrow and his teammates would graduate by then. Each member of Team STRQ got two days for both years, and Summer had made them promise to use one for a team date.

Six weeks after their schooling began, Qrow used his free day to seek out Vale's legendary good luck bar.

From the outside, it didn't look like much. Some of the golden neon lights blinked before dying, and the sign tilted as soon as Qrow entered. Inside, a boy stood on a counter telling a story of how he caught a leviathan Grimm from the sea. He spun an iron horseshoe resembling one of Ozpin's trophies, and he waved at Qrow like they were old friends.

Qrow ignored him and headed straight for the pool table. Here was where he could test the good luck bar's reputation.

"You don't even know how to play, Junior!" a tall young man with bright orange hair laughed.

"Shut up, Torchwick," the large man, Junior, hissed.

Qrow put down a stack of lian a quarter of an inch thick. Torchwick tossed him a pool cue, and Qrow examined it. It felt like any ordinary cue to him. A skull decorated the green tape wrapped around the handle.

"What's your name, blackbird?"

"Qrow."

"Welcome to the good luck tavern, Qrow," Torchwick said with exaggerated amity. "You're the newcomer, so you get the honour of breaking."

The memory of the broken mirror flashed in Qrow's mind, but he suppressed it. He needed to focus on the game.

The white ball didn't even graze the triangle as his shot went wide.

Junior barked in laughter. "He's even worse than me! Oh boy, you're wasting your lian!"

Torchwick stared at Qrow's flustered face, and then smirked at Junior. "He's wasting your lian, panda boy."

Junior patted his pockets and his face took on a thunderous expression. "My wallet's gone!"

Qrow hadn't stolen from Junior. Neither he nor Raven were nimble enough for that. He watched as Torchwick shot two striped balls at once.

The boy with the iron horseshoe ambled over to watch the game. "Ooh, you got solids. That's lucky. The solids are easier to hole in this bar."

Qrow turned to the boy, who looked too young to be in any bar. Then again, Qrow was also under-aged. The boy's eyes were emerald-green like Ozpin's. "That's the first bit of good luck I've gotten all day, then."

"I see you've met our good luck charm," Torchwick remarked. "Clover is what makes this bar special. It's your turn, by the way."

Qrow aimed for the solid blue ball. Not only did that one go into the hole, but the white ball ricocheted so three more solids went in.

"It's called the good luck bar for a reason," Torchwick muttered. "Honestly, with the current times, we could use some good fortune. I don't care for huntsmen, but Meng Baixue's massacres created fear that lures Grimm, with less people to keep the monsters away."

"They caught her, though," Junior put in.

Torchwick rolled his eyes. "That's old news, panda boy. Meng's arrest may have stopped the huntsmen from disappearing on us, but fear doesn't go away easily, and neither do Grimm."

The door to the good luck bar slammed open, and a young man marched in, dressed in Atlas colours: ice-blue, deep blue, a hint of red like roses. "Atlas military! I have a warrant!" The pompous soldier wasn't much older than Qrow or Torchwick, but he acted superior as he announced, "I am Sergeant James Ironwood, and I have a warrant to search this facility under suspicion of being in possession of illegally trafficked dust!"

The blood dropped from Qrow's face. If he was associated with a dust trafficking operation, he could get kicked out of Beacon. Torchwick cursed and yelled at Junior for allowing this to happen. Then he turned on Clover. "You're supposed to be our good luck charm!"

This is because of me, Qrow realized. "I'm your bad luck charm."

Sergeant Ironwood began to turn toward Qrow, but his head whipped sharply to the other side when Clover knocked aside a shelf of glasses. "Oops, clumsy me!"

Clover winked at Qrow, who wasted no time. He turned into a corvid and flew away. Junior and Torchwick disappeared as well, and even Clover managed to get away as the young soldier spun in a circle. His subordinates arrested the remaining customers, who screamed curses and grumbled about the misfortune of it all.


	6. Fall for You

Unlike her brother, who used one of his two free days to explore a bar with a notorious reputation, Raven Branwen used her first free day to sneak into Headmaster Ozpin's office.

She ducked under clockwork gears. Her block heels resounded on the black glass, but she didn't worry about being found out. Everyone knew Ozpin went out with Professor Port and Dr. Oobleck to Port's monthly costume party. Apparently, this month's theme was four maidens, though Raven wondered who the fourth "maiden" was supposed to be.

A green witchlight cast an eerie glow over Ozpin's obsidian desk. His drawers were empty, without a single paper document or photograph in sight. Raven had searched him up before—she stalked all her teachers online—but there was no indication of a family, a reputation beyond Beacon, or even records of a team or missions he participated in. It was like the emerald wizard had been born to be the King of Beacon.

Footsteps echoed on the glass floor, and Raven knocked over the witchlight lamp on Ozpin's desk, sending the poison-green glow spreading to the newcomer's feet. Woven buckles secured her slippers to her small feet. "Hello? Professor Ozpin?"

Raven was glad she'd brought Omen, though she vowed to only use it as a last resort. Keeping her voice calm, though with an inch of coldness, she said, "Professor Ozpin is unavailable, but I can take a message."

Raven picked up the lamp and shone it on the girl's face. In the odd illumination, her hair looked as white as an Easter lily. Her pale green eyes shifted away from Raven's piercing gaze and followed the witchlight as Raven set it back on the desk. "My name is Lilya Bili. Professor Ozpin summoned me to discuss my role as the spring maiden, but it seems like there's been a miscommunication with the address."

Raven pieced the puzzle quickly; you didn't become a survivor of the Branwen Tribe by passively accepting what people said and going into situations blind. Lilya Bili, Ozpin's lovely white lily, was the fourth maiden of Port's "costume party". "There hasn't been a miscommunication," Raven assured Lilya. "Professor Ozpin sent me to represent him."

Lilya looked at Raven now, her pale eyes full of skepticism. She isn't that stupid. What makes you think she'd fall for you so easily?

"Ozpin trusts me, too." To gain information, Raven needed to share a bit as well. She turned into a corvid and perched on Lilya's outstretched hand. The girl's slender fingers were deathly cold, and Raven ruffled her dark feathers over the other girl's pale flesh.

Lilya stroked Raven's small bird head. "Oh, he gave you magic, too! Blackbirds are such beautiful creatures. Oz always had a fascination with fairy tales, including the one I'm a part of."

Tell me more, maiden.

"As the spring maiden, I've been gifted with magical powers beyond what any Semblance is capable of. Not to brag, but I could be one of Remnant's greatest huntresses if I chose to follow that path."

Raven doubted it, until she felt the skin beneath her talons rise and give way to a sprout. She inched away as the sprout burst into flames that caught a sudden breeze and froze into an ice sculpture before melting and evaporating away.

Lilya continued, "But I'm not interested in fighting monsters, in battling creatures of pure evil who feed on negativity. As a maiden, I'm tasked with protecting one of four relics in Remnant, at least until I die and my powers go to the last young woman in my mind. The message deleted itself before I could memorize it, and I can't remember if I was supposed to go to Beacon or Haven. Atlas is for the winter maiden, and I would remember if I was sent to Vacuo." She said the last part with a shudder.

She really is daft.

Lilya stared at Raven as though trying to read the bird's mind. "Where should I go? I feel so lost."

Glass on glass alerted both of them, and Raven flapped her wings to observe from above. She almost squawked when she recognized Cinder, the Queen's scarlet pawn.

"Hello, Lilya."

Lilya's voice was tremulous compared to Cinder's direct tone. "Do I know you?"

"You should know your killer. I'm Cinder, and I will be the next spring maiden."

Raven dropped from the clockwork gears, reverting as she descended. Her boots must have cracked the floor, but she didn't feel bad. Ozpin should have known better than to order a floor of a training academy to be made of glass.

"You should also know your savior, little lily," Raven told Lilya while staring down Cinder. "My name is Raven Branwen, the future leader of the Branwen Tribe."

Cinder unsheathed dao swords with inscriptions of orange characters that glowed in the dim light. "What's a tribe girl doing in a school that trains prospective huntresses?"

Raven lifted her chin. "Protecting the spring maiden."

She drew Omen but did not fight Cinder. Their fight would come later; for now, it was imperative to gain Lilya's trust. Raven wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's waist and slashed the air to make a portal back to her little brother.

Qrow needed to know about the maidens, too. The spring maiden was the future of the Branwen Tribe.


	7. Swallows the Moon

"Tai? Is that you?"

Tai's head whipped left and right as he searched for the source of the croaking plea.

"Do you have a few lian to spare?"

Tai looked down. At his feet, an emaciated beggar gestured to his empty bowl. His wispy white hair hung to his shoulders, his limbs and fingers were crooked and slender as twigs, blue bags and bruises made his face unrecognizable at first.

"Li... Liang?" When Tai said his name and the beggar's violet eyes remained steady, Tai genuflected so he was at eye level with his former rival. "Yueliang Xiao Feng, what happened to you?"

"After getting rejected from Beacon last year, I took on a construction job on the western border of Vale, near Vacuo."

Though Vale was relatively peaceful and had a moderate climate and temperament, the area near Vacuo was harsh. Sand blew from the east, criminals slipped through the border, and Grimm swarmed from the country of lazy, delinquent huntsmen.

"Liang, you didn't."

Liang swept a spotted arm across his atrophied legs. "Clearly," he replied in an acidic tone, "I did."

Tai recalled his last battle with Liang just over a year ago. The violet-eyed fighter's Semblance was gravity, which would have been sought after for heavy labour. It also made him more vulnerable to Grimm, less evasive and easily manipulated by a clever and selfish employer. Tai had suspected he and Liang would have very different paths, but he'd hoped Liang would become a huntsman, too. They would resolve their differences and their teams would unite for difficult missions. At least, even if they never met again, they would work toward a common goal of protecting humanity from monsters. Tai's voice was somber as he demanded, "Who did this to you?"

A few hours later, Tai was on a westbound train, chasing sunset. He'd already wasted most of his free day at the movies—the sequel to The Ice Queen had been hyped up but watching a previously cold and complicated heroine become complacent and docile had been torturous—and transportation from the heart of Vale to the grimy outskirts ate up another sizable portion. Taiyang had only one day to get this job done.

Here was the desert Liang had described. Tai didn't wait for the train to stop; he punched his way out the window and rolled upon landing. Stones dug into his arms, and his boots crunched on the gritty land as he ran. A blackbird flew overhead, and Tai thought of Raven and Qrow, along with Summer, stuck in class. He wished he could go back in time and be stuck listening to Port and Oobleck ramble on for hours, anything than being downtown and encountering his old rival.

Am I trying to hide?

Once, a few months ago, a careless cargo transporter had steamrolled over a skunk in front of their dorm building. Tai wondered why the place stank as he returned from an exhausting private sparring lesson with Goodwitch. Ozpin claimed a few bored fourth years planted a fart bomb in the tropiaries.

"A fart bomb," Summer giggled, and Tai smiled. "That's funny."

"It's not that funny," Raven retorted, sharpening her knives. "Oz lied."

Qrow glanced at Tai from his perch on the windowsill. "Do you want to know the truth?"

Tai looked between his teammates: Summer's reluctance, Raven's anger, Qrow's resignation. "Did they get expelled?"

"Oz lied," Raven repeated.

Qrow pulled out his scroll and showed Tai a photo of black-and-white-furred roadkill. Pink mush oozed out from one end, and Tai slapped a hand over his mouth.

"You ruined his day," Summer complained.

Qrow looked at Tai, his amber eyes quizzical but not pitying. "Did you want us to keep the truth from you?"

Raven set down her knives and placed her fingers on Tai's shoulder. She had a strong, unyielding hand. "If you know the truth," she said, "you can decide what comes next for yourself. You're not a blind man trusting his headmaster. You can ask questions and get answers. This life is yours."

Tai had laughed. "It's just a skunk."

Tai agreed with Raven. I'm not hiding. He was glad he knew. Part of him lamented that he and Liang could never reconcile by working together as huntsmen, but knowing was better than living life ignorant. Summer spoke about having a purpose, and this was Tai's: to hurt the person who had taken his hopes for reconciliation and resolution. He hoped his teammates would never hide anything from him.

Tai skidded to a stop at the construction project. Sand whipped at his bare calves and got into his sneakers. A tall man leaned against the swaying skeleton tower. His hat shielded his face in shadow, but when he saw Tai approaching, he dropped his cigar, crushed it under his heel, and propped up his hat. His serpentine eyes were emerald-green.

"Are you lost, boy?"

Tai narrowed his eyes. This is Shui Lanyu. This is the man who will pay. "No, I'm not lost."

Shui removed a whip and lashed out at a passing worker. "You're slow! Xiao Feng was better than you, lazy filth."

Tai grabbed Shui's collar. "You know Liang—Xiao Feng? Tell me, what happened to him?"

Shui's slitted pupils dilated for a second. He's scared. "He was—there was an accident."

A helpful worker quipped, "You said he was careless!"

Shui lashed at her with his whip. "Shut up!" His last word became a choke as Tai's fingers tightened.

Tai threw him down, giving the Faunist a fighting chance.

"At least the boy was a hard worker," the woman continued. "Shui refuses to do any work, and then throws a fit when our supervisor doesn't pay him."

"I deserve better!" Shui shouted. Scales fell from his face when he was angry, and his skin had an awful green hue. "If I wasn't a Faunist, I could have been the supervisor. I'm stronger, faster, better—but he calls me a snake, says I should be crushed under his daughter's heel."

Tai threw the first punch.

Shui's skin came off, and Tai squealed in disgust as he shook off the shedding.

Shui's whip lacerated through Tai's Aura. Blood sprayed from his arm, and burning pain made him fantasize of the supervisor's daughter—he imagined her to be a pretty, dainty person like Summer—stomping the snake Faunist under her combat boots.

Tai's fist smashed through Shui's face as the golden-haired boy caught his opponent by surprise. I don't need my Aura to fight, lowly man. But it looks like you need yours.

Shui crumpled to the ground and screamed, green energy exuding from him as his Aura dissipated.

"Are you going to finish him off?" Shui's colleague asked. "He lied, you know. He crippled your friend so he could get promoted."

"Liang wasn't my friend," Tai blurted out.

He didn't finish off his opponent. Tai boarded the next train to return to the City of Vale. The sky was getting dark, but Tai's light blazed a path for him. He tracked his steps using his scroll's map until he found Liang, whose bowl was as empty of lian as it had been six hours ago.

"We aren't friends," Tai said, putting away his scroll.

Liang didn't meet Tai's gaze. "Then why did you go after Shui?"

"I needed time to think." Tai flicked his wrist, and a bronze dagger popped out, the handle landing in his palm.

Liang looked up now. His violet eyes would haunt Tai, who cursed the fact that his eyes were the same colour. "So the sun not only burns brighter, but it swallows the moon, doesn't it?"

Tai didn't answer. He thrust the dagger into Liang's heart.

"You made the right decision," Raven said when Tai was back in their dorm. "I don't know where you went today or what you did, but I can tell from your face that you had to deal with something important. You don't need to tell me what you chose, but your anguish says you knew what you were doing. You weren't going in blind." She put a hand on his shoulder, her incarnadine eyes staring into him. "I'm proud to have you as my teammate."

"It's because of you, you know," Tai told her. "You told me to make this life mine."

Raven inclined her head as he bent his down, and their lips met in the middle.


	8. Spontaneous Combustion

Summer waited for her teammates to have their free days before taking her own day off. She provided her classmates with missed notes and help with homework, and she expected reciprocity.

"After arguing for decades about how the last agreement predominantly benefited Atlas, the four kingdoms have come to a new agreement, termed Four Kingdoms Agreement, or Forka for short!"

Summer looked up at the projected hologram, where Lilac Lavender reported on Remnant's current events. She pulled the hood of her silver cloak down and strode out of the City of Vale. While Tai had explored west, she headed east, to the swampy fields of ancient Grimm that had become intelligent and patient.

Phosphine and methane reacted with the air. Spontaneous combustion resulted in the glowing green will-o'-the-wisps common in this part of town. Summer followed the trail to a lonely cabin in the marsh.

"You're overcharging me, Meng," a man complained inside.

Summer dropped bread crumbs as she approached. The wild animals drawn to the food concealed the squelching of her boots in the peaty earth.

The man peeked out the window and muttered, "Damn animals."

Summer's scattered limbs re-attached as he turned back to the witch of the woods, who was supposed to be in jail. "Have empathy, Roman," Meng retorted. "Forka is facilitating trade among the kingdoms. Now that hefty tariffs aren't an issue, the people are choosing to buy their dust and weapon parts through legal means."

"If we can't beat the tariffs," Roman spelled out, "then we can beat the products."

Meng snorted. "Since when did you, Roman Torchwick, care about product quality?"

"I care! Our product will be higher quality because our product will actually exist. Those Forka men won't know what hit them—do you smell that?"

Meng took a whiff of the air. She recognized the sharp, sweet scent of the cosmic crisp. It had haunted her during her arrest. Her mammillary bodies fed the awful memory through her loop of Papez over and over, the anger motivating her to escape from Vale's low-security prison. The ease of her escape made her wonder, if a terrorist who had tortured and murdered dozens of huntsmen ended up in low security, what type of criminals were put in Remnant's most heavily guarded cells?

There was no point hiding anymore. Summer barged in, leading with Rose's Thorns. Meng ducked, and Roman yelled in shock as the glaive cut through his suit jacket.

"I just got this tailored!" Roman protested.

Regret pricked Summer, not for ruining this criminal's custom-tailored suit, but because Roman didn't look much older than her. He could have been a student like her and her teammates. He could have been training to protect the people rather than rob them.

Roman leaned on his cane. Summer narrowed her eyes, doubting he actually had a disability. A bullet shot out from the end of his cane and propelled him toward Summer, who didn't have time to dodge. She lifted her arms to protect herself as Roman kicked with both legs.

Meng escaped into the marsh, disturbing the wild animals who were feeding on Summer's bread crumbs.

Before Summer could follow, Roman lashed out with the curved handle of his cane. Summer blocked his attack with her glaive, trapping Roman's cane in her weapon's ring.

Rose's Thorns tore through Roman's suit again as Summer twisted her wrist, contorting her opponent's arm and forcing him to drop his weapon. She kicked aside the cane and stomped on the crook of his elbow, dislocating his arm.

"I just got this tailored," Roman ingeminated, fury in his expression as he glared up at Summer with one eye, the other covered by his mad-orange hair.

Threads unraveled from the ends of his suit. The string wrapped around his cane on the other side of the cabin. His suit controlled his weapon for him, and Summer scattered her limbs to deflect the hits and dodge the bullets. Roman's suit kept unraveling until Summer realized Roman was trying to escape.

She chased after him, and when she caught up, he hollered a string of curses—but not at her. Meng's body lay disfigured at their feet, her face bloated and shifting between gray and blue.

Summer used her cloak to cover her nose, and Roman lifted his cravat. Somehow, the cloth didn't muffle his words when he muttered, "Useless pawn, she would have slowed my profits."

He staggered away, leaving Summer to kneel beside her former enemy. The ground was too wet for a proper burial, and carrion Grimm were already flying overhead, circling above the stiff body.

"The world filled your head with dreams and found you empty, Meng Baixue," Summer murmured from behind her cloak. "This world has no place for those without purpose."


	9. To Glory

"Dust is the greatest discovery," a scratchy voice on the radio proclaims. "It has lifted mankind out of darkness, into the light, and to glory!"

A man knocks the old radio off the counter when he swings his cane.

"Hey, watch it!" the shopkeeper snaps.

A little girl sitting on the street looks up at the commotion. Her eyes are broken: one is pink like a strawberry cream puff, the other is dark and sullen.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man's voice drips with sarcasm. "Did I hurt your feelings, little old man? Was that radio a sentimental artifact, a remnant of your precious and long-gone youth? The thing's garbage, if you ask me."

"No one asked you," the shopkeeper's wife mutters.

"No one's asking you, sugar bun." His orange hair flips away from his eyes when he turns to the broken-eyed girl on the street. "What about you... neopolitan ice cream child?" He likes to use nicknames; it makes things fun without getting too personal. Junior Xiong is panda boy; the dark boy who turned into a bird to escape the "good luck" bar last year is blackbird; this adorable girl of pink like strawberries, cocoa like chocolate, and ivory like vanilla is neopolitan ice cream child... which is a mouthful. "What do you think, Neo?"

The girl's bi-coloured eyes widen, but she doesn't answer. The shopkeeper's wife snorts, phlegm getting stuck in her throat. "There's no use asking what she thinks, sir. She can't answer you. She can't speak."

Roman stares at the mute girl as she stands and stomps on the fallen radio. Her tiny frame gives her a childlike look, but Roman suspects she's older than she looks. They share a smile. "You don't need words to speak. Actions are louder and get the job done better, anyhoo. Wouldn't you agree, Neo?"

She offers her hand, and he reaches out to shake it. She uses his arm to lift herself up above him. He whirls around to see her spin in mid-air, a trained dancer with small feet that point to the sky, and land in a curtsy.

"She used to work for the Peacock," the shopkeeper explains. "She was one of the Peacock's best dancers. Then she spoke out against her mistress, lost her tongue and her job, and ended up on the streets."

Roman spits. "That was a terrible story, old man."

Neo isn't smiling. Her intent gaze confirms that the shopkeeper told the truth, and her mouth wavers as she stares at Roman, waiting.

"I don't need a dancer. I need a business partner." Roman smiles at Neo, who smiles back. "We're going on a grand venture. We'll sell dust that will lift us out of darkness, into the light, and to glory!"


	10. The Maiden and the Peacock

Raven knew Summer had wanted her team to spend their second free day together, but Raven wanted to be alone. With her brother's Semblance, she was used to being separate from others, and she preferred it that way. Tai's cheer was like sunshine; sometimes it warmed her, other times it was aggravating.

Raven put on a face mask. She was walking into shady territory in the City of Vale, and unlike Qrow, she had the sense to stay disguised lest someone recognize her and have her expelled a few short months from graduating.

Gunshots and the clash of metal alerted Raven to a fight. She chased after the sound of commotion and crashed into a twig-like girl.

"Ow! Who... who are you?" The girl quivered at Raven's frightening mask as the dark-haired huntress-to-be loomed over her. Raven recognized Lilya Bili, the spring maiden.

She took off her mask and put a finger to her lips. Lilya's pale eyes widened and she nodded with excitement.

"Do you have a grudge against the Peacock, too?"

Raven secured her mask again. "Against who?"

"The Peacock," Lilya breathed. "One of her former workers is fighting her now. She's with a dangerous man—you don't want to go near them."

Lilya couldn't see the hard set of Raven's mouth, the determination in her eyes. "I want to check it out." She hesitated. "Be safe, Lilya."

Lilya stared after her as she ran toward the Peacock, whose turquoise feathers fanned out as she spun.

"Don't forget who taught you, girl," the Peacock snarled, her lips marred by knife nicks, her face covered with awful scars. Raven stood there, trembling like a scared little girl. It took courage, stupidity, or pure insanity to fight without an Aura. Though Lilya had mentioned a dangerous man, the Peacock appeared far worse.

"Show her what you learned without her, Neo!" a man cheered. Raven whirled to see a man who dressed like he was from the Belle Époque. He lifted his cane and fired a few bullets that frightened the Faunist.

Neo took the opportunity to deliver three spinning kicks in rapid succession. Raven was dizzy just watching her.

The Peacock staggered back. She fanned out her tail feathers and some of them flew out like quills.

Neo spun her umbrella to deflect them. One hurled toward Raven, who partially unsheathed Omen to block the sharpened feather, which ricocheted with the sound of steel.

Neo leaped over the Peacock's twirling tail feathers. The air resistance from her open umbrella let her hover over her opponent for a moment, and then she closed it and dropped.

The stiletto heel of her boot drove through the Peacock's left eye. Even from a distance, Raven could hear the squishing of fluid and the crack of bone as Neo sank into the Peacock's skull.

Her companion applauded as the Peacock fell limp and Neo curtsied with a smile. Raven stifled a gasp when she recognized Roman Torchwick. The young criminal mastermind had gained a notorious reputation in Vale for combating the fluctuating dust prices and tariffs with his mysterious supply.

Summer would want to know that Roman had a new partner, a girl whose eyes changed color when she attacked, who attacked without mercy, and who was capable of revenge and violence against a Faunist. Guilt pricked Raven for squandering her team's long-awaited team date, but the information gained was worth it. Raven believed it.


	11. Raven Wing and White Lily

A powerful gale shook the treetops of the evergreens. One pine tree had a golden star on its zenith. The forest was quiet except for the wind. The flapping of wings beat a rhythm to the monotony as a corvid flew lower, dipping between the trees.

On the ground level, the wind was quieter, and Raven could hear a soft hissing. Her footsteps were silent on the grass as she approached the star-topped tree decorated with lights woven among the needles. Raven kicked a fragment of dust, smaller than any of the individual lights, and the reaction illuminated the tree in radiant violet and blazing fuchsia.

The source of the hissing revealed itself as a snake peeked its flat head from between two evergreen fronds. Raven reached out, and the snake flicked its tongue at her bare fingers.

Raven looked up as snow began to fall, and then she looked back at the serpent in her tribe's holiday tree. "Are you warm in there, little one? Does living in the light's shadows please you?"

The serpent did not answer, but it crawled onto Raven's arm. Its weight reminded her of Omen at her waist, and she tried to hide her surprise when she realized how long the beast was. It must have been almost twice as long as she was tall. Yet she found she didn't want to shake it off. It was mesmerizing.

A scream pierced the air. Raven flicked the snake off and ran to the source, fearing the worst for her tribe. Two of her men had pinned a slender woman to the snow-speckled grass. Raven recognized her at once.

"Let her go," she ordered her men, and they released her at once. Raven crouched beside the woman and helped her to stand. "Are you all right, Lilya?"

Lilya's face was damp from tears as much as snow. "I need your help, Raven."

"It's Lady Branwen to you, stranger!" one of Raven's tribemates barked.

Raven snapped, "Shut it, Turquoise. Lilya Bili is my friend, and you will show her respect as though she were kin."

"You don't care for your kin," Turquoise muttered.

Raven's red eyes were rubies of wrath. "Then show her more respect than you would to my own blood."

Raven supported Lilya to her own tent, the grandest in the camp. Lilya struck up conversation as though they really were old friends. "How are you, Raven? Are you a huntress now? Is Turquoise one of your teammates?"

"No."

"It's been so long since I saw you in Beacon. When did you graduate?"

"I was in an advanced class. I graduated two years early."

"Wow!" Lilya's eyes were full of wonderment. "You're really smart, Raven. You are capable of anything."

"I know."

Lilya lowered her voice as Raven closed the flap of her tent, giving the two of them privacy. "You seem curt. Are you angry at me?"

"I don't like to waste words." Raven made her voice more gentle as she added, "And I'd never be angry at you."

Lilya's ivory skin turned pink. "How are you, Raven?"

"Not well," Raven admitted. She poured two cups of tea and set them on a low table. She sat cross-legged opposite Lilya, who kneeled and ran her fingers along the fine wood. "I may have been one of Beacon's best students and graduated earlier, but I'm no longer a huntress. I still have my license, but I don't fight Grimm with my team anymore. After all, we're no longer a team."

Lilya gasped, her hands around her teacup. "Oh, Raven! Did you have a falling out?"

Raven's mouth twitched. "We did. Do you remember when I ran into you, long ago, and you told me about the Peacock?"

Lilya shivered. "She died horribly, Raven."

"I know." I was there, silly girl. "I was supposed to spend that day with my team. Since we were in an accelerated class, we were given only two free days. Our leader wanted one of those days to be a team date."

Lilya sighed, looking relieved. "It was selfish of you to ignore her wishes, but you've graduated. It all happened a long time ago. You have forever to hang out, during and after missions as fellow huntresses. Surely you can make up and move on?"

Raven took a sip of tea. "Our leader died during a mission."

Lilya gasped again, and her hands shook. Raven reached to support the spring maiden's teacup. The maiden had such smooth and slender fingers, fingers that had never wielded a weapon or tried to inflict pain.

Raven curled her hand around Lilya's. "It was a long time ago."

"Still," Lilya whispered, "it must hurt, to know you have no chance of reconciliation."

"Lilya," Raven said in a low voice, "do you think I want reconciliation? Do I look like a woman who would regret anything?"

Lilya trembled, uncertain.

"You should drink your tea before it gets cold."

Lilya took a sip, an obedient flower, and froze. The teacup clattered onto the table, spilling auburn liquid and sakura petals.

Raven pointed a finger at the sakura petals, and they blew into the air on a wind of ice crystals. Her ruby eyes glowed with power. She could feel the newfound maiden power within her, a force of energy and hope. This was what meek and timid Lilya possessed all along? Raven felt like a god.

She also felt vulnerable. Lilya had come to her requesting help. The spring maiden had a target painted on her back. Raven would have powerful enemies, and no allies. But I have a tribe.

Raven tapped Lilya's corpse with her foot, and the body became ice. She clenched her fist, and it shattered into a million fragments.

Outside, her tribe carried on as normal. Men boasted of false achievements; women practiced their hunting skills on targets painted on the stupid men's backs. A girl with cropped hair perked up when she saw the tribe's leader. She was new, but had pledged her loyalty after Raven rescued her from the street dumps. "Raven!"

Raven put on her elaborate mask. "Come with me, spring maiden."

Excited murmurs filled the glade. "Spring maiden?"

"Yes. You are spring. You are Vernal. Show the people your power."

Vernal shrugged and held out a hand. A seedling grew from it, and then vanished with a poof. The sky darkened, thunder rolled, and lightning split the forest.

Vernal stared at Raven, understanding dawning in her brilliant blue eyes.

Raven smiled behind her mask. "My tribe," she announced to the others, "we have a powerful person in our presence indeed."


	12. Closer to the Emptiness

"I trust Ozpin," Summer said. Many years had passed since her team graduated from Beacon with honors. Although Raven had moved on with her life and they were no longer Team STRQ, Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Qrow Branwen were some of the greatest huntsmen of their generation. The three of them were a family, and their family was growing. Their little ray of sunshine, Tai and Raven's firecracker daughter Yang, was a strong and eager child. Her baby half-sister, Tai and Summer's daughter Ruby, looked up to Yang and tried to copy her. Yang adored the attention and enjoyed showing off and then helping Ruby to follow her. Summer was a good mother to both girls. Ruby was a spitting image of her, but Summer loved Yang as though the golden-haired firecracker were her own daughter, too.

"If he says this woman can help me harness my power," Summer continued, "then I need to meet her."

"Meet who, Mommy?" Yang chirped, tugging on Summer's silver cloak.

Summer scooped up the little girl in her arms and kissed her forehead. "A huntress, sunny little dragon."

"A huntress like you," Yang whispered in awe. Below, Ruby stared with wide, silver eyes—silver, like Summer's.

The silver-cloaked huntress suppressed a shudder as she set Yang down. "It's nothing to be proud of, girls. You can be more than huntresses."

Ruby squeaked, "We can be heroes!"

Tai swept Ruby up onto his shoulders and hugged Yang from behind. He looked up at Summer and said, "I wish we could go together as a team."

"We are a team," Summer told him. "Someone in the team has to stay behind and look after the girls."

They glanced at Qrow, who was stuffing packs of cup-o'-noodles into his bag. Though they loved him, his Semblance didn't go well with children. Ruby had an imaginary playmate and Yang was itching for a punching match. With Qrow's Misfortune, anything could go wrong.

Tai snatched Qrow's pack and overturned it, dumping the cup-o'-noodle packs onto the couch.

"Hey! Those are our rations!"

Tai bumped Qrow's shoulder. "My team will have better rations than fake noodles with water." He packed a bundle of sandwiches, a couple of thermoses, and some beef jerky. "Rations for missions are always better when they're made with love."

Summer beamed. Tai bent to kiss her, and then bumped knuckles with Qrow. "Take care of her," he whispered.

"I know." Qrow's voice was husky. He loved Summer as much as Tai did—maybe not in the same way, but different types of love could be just as infinite.

"We'll be home in three days," Summer announced. "Cook us a feast, okay, Tai?"

"You got it, chief." Tai saluted her with two fingers.

Qrow chuckled and whispered to Yang and Ruby, "Chief."

Yang giggled, and Ruby looked confused but happy.

Summer and Qrow headed out and followed the map on their scrolls through the woods. They boarded a train at the City of Vale and enjoyed the view as they traveled south. Pine trees became spindly deciduous trees that blew in the autumn wind. The crisp air bit at their cheeks whenever the train stopped, and snow pounded on the windows as the train left populated areas and entered an area of wilderness.

In their huntsmen gear, Summer and Qrow didn't quite fit in with the other passengers, who wore comfortable jackets, loose shorts, and snugly clothing with no place for weapons. Most of them were tourists, or people visiting distant relatives for the holidays, or the occasional brave soul venturing into the unknown. Summer thought about how unfortunate it would be if they encountered their enemy here and now.

The lights flickered and plunged the train to darkness. Passengers screamed, and someone spilled a cup of coffee. Automatic emergency lights cast an eerie orange glow for illumination. The passengers fumbled in the dim lighting, reaching for their family and companions. People shoved past each other, and Summer and Qrow stood in the middle of the chaos, ready for action. This far into the wilderness, monsters were lurking, waiting, ready to pounce on the passengers' fear.

A heavy thump sounded on the roof, and the passengers panicked even more. It's a vicious cycle, thought Summer. People were a little scared, their fear drew Grimm, the monsters' presence frightened people more, and the stronger fear attracted more Grimm. Only huntsmen could break the cycle: victory belonged to a simple soul who wasn't conquered by fear.

Qrow unsheathed Harbinger and pointed his sword to the ceiling.

Summer threw Rose's Thorns upward and severed her hand to guide her glaive. She sliced a crude shape in the ceiling, weakening the train's material.

When her limb and weapon returned to the rest of her body, Qrow crouched and sprung up. Harbinger pierced through the ceiling, popping open an emergency hatch for him and his teammate.

Summer followed him as the chunk of ceiling flew away into the wild. They balanced on the shaking train car and scanned the area.

A lion-like Grimm growled behind Summer, who saw Qrow's face and smirked. "We got this, buddy."

Qrow knew they had to finish this Grimm off fast, before it called over more of its kind. Black tendrils flowed from beneath its horrific skull mask, framing its head like a shadow mane. Qrow trusted Summer like she trusted him. He aimed his gun at her forehead.

As soon as he pulled the trigger, she scattered like white rose petals. The bullet cracked the middle of the leonine Grimm's face, where its nose should have been. The beast reared up and snarled, its forepaws flailing. One smacked Qrow and he slid back to the edge of the train car. He hopped to the car behind him to avoid falling.

Summer's limbs reattached behind the monster, and Rose's Thorns severed the Grimm's neck. The monster turned to dust as it fell.

Qrow and Summer dropped back into the train car. Now that part of the roof was gone, snow began collecting on the dirty carpet, and the passengers shivered.

"People!" Summer's voice resonated, and the chatter ceased. "I know you are cold, and I know you are uncertain, but you don't need to be scared. I am Summer Rose and this is my teammate, Qrow Branwen."

She glared at the huntsman as he flirted with a lady passenger to steal her cookies and milk.

"We are huntsmen," Summer continued, "and we will protect you. You only need to trust us."

The passengers hesitated, and then a short man at the back called out, "I trust you!"

People took on his cheer, chanting, "We trust you!"

Qrow smiled at his leader. "I trust you, too."

Summer scoffed, though her smile was kind. "You better—we're heading into dangerous territory, buddy." She rested her head on his shoulder as the passengers collaborated to seal the ceiling to keep out the cold. "I trust you, too. I know Tai doesn't, because of your Semblance, but you're my friend. I'll share your bad luck and you can share my clumsiness and scattered brain."

"I'll pass on the scattered brain," Qrow chuckled. He tried to think about what a scattered brain would look like, and not about how Tai didn't trust him. He'd suspected, but he'd also wanted to believe that Tai appreciated having him as a teammate. You don't need to trust someone to still care for them, he reminded himself, but wondered if it was true, especially for huntsmen on the same team.

The train arrived at its final destination. Qrow shivered when he recognized the dark, foreboding palace. Long, long ago, he and Raven had snuck into the black castle. More accurately, Raven had broken in to steal from Salem, then known in the tribe as the Queen of Diamonds, while Qrow sat outside and picked a fight with one of the queen's pawns.

"Don't be scared," Summer whispered, misreading Qrow's shiver. "Trust me. No, more importantly—trust yourself."

There's a reason she left you behind all those years ago.

"I can't," he admitted in a husky voice.

It was for her Kindred Link, Qrow reasoned.

Summer gave him a stern look and led the way into the castle.

It was because of my Misfortune.

"Do you know what the first thing Ozpin said to me was?" Summer brought up as they ducked under the foliage. The leaves should hide them, but they seemed to whisper their secrets to the wind. "He said, 'You have silver eyes.'"

Qrow snorted. "King of the obvious, that emerald wizard."

"He thinks it's a link to a greater power, the remnant of an ancestor of light," Summer continued as they approached the servants' door at the back. "I don't feel it, but I believe the headmaster. If he says there is a silver-eyed warrior held captive here who can help me help the world," she pressed her hand to the door and it sank into the wood, where her displaced fingers could maneuver the lock, "then I need to find her."

They prowled down the corridor, their footsteps silent. They dodged the eyes of the guards and kept to their path. Although no layout had been provided, it was common sense that a captive would be kept in the deepest, darkest basement.

Qrow waved a hand in front of his nose, trying to ward off the fishy stench. Summer winced but stayed focused. There were three doors. One would lead to the silver-eyed warrior, but Salem could be in one of the other two.

"I shouldn't be here," Qrow muttered. He turned to a corvid, but Summer plucked him from the air.

"If you can't trust yourself, then trust me." One of Summer's allegedly powerful silver eyes popped out, and Qrow almost squawked. The eye phased through the middle door.

Qrow reverted to human. "Well?"

"You should know how my Semblance works by now, buddy. If my eye isn't connected to my brain, I don't know what I'm seeing."

Qrow remembered Summer explaining once how she picked locks and opened doors. She formulated a plan to turn a door handle and sent the plan to the muscles in her hand, but a delay in the excitation-contraction coupling, as well as being able to coagulate her blood, allowed Summer to sever a hand and let it work its magic seemingly on its own. The downside was that she couldn't improvise, so if the lock wasn't as she'd envisioned, her hand would need to return so the nerves could reconnect to her brain and she'd have to start over.

Her eye returned and she blinked a few times. "I hate doing that; it gives me dry eye."

"Well?"

"It's empty."

Summer popped out her other eye and phased it through the right door. Qrow waited, Harbinger ready, and the next two seconds were absolute agony.

"It should be back by now."

Qrow reached for the door, his hand shaking. Summer put a hand on his shoulder and nudged him aside. As soon as she touched the door handle, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

Out of reflex, Qrow turned into a corvid. He reverted at once as he realized the danger they were in, especially Summer.

The wood splintered and the door blew apart. An arrow had pierced Summer's severed eye, and a pale monster with black veins brushed it off. The eye rolled on the ground, and Summer scattered her limbs.

Later, Qrow would remember Salem's face, the monstrous eyes without light, and it would haunt his nightmares forever. Now, he didn't stop to think. He didn't hesitate as he swung Harbinger at the black castle's queen.

He was too slow. Maybe if he hadn't turned into a bird and almost flew away, he could have reached her.

Summer was beginning to rematerialize behind Salem, but when she saw her enemy looming over her fallen teammate, she scattered again. Her limbs materialized between Qrow and Salem, whose Grimm-like tendrils punctured each one. A diamond tore through Summer's leg, another through her foot. Qrow could recognize the torn muscles as the fabric ripped and the leather cracked. He could name every ligament that burst, every artery that spurted blood, but how could any of that knowledge help his wounded friend?

Qrow's hand curled around his sword's hilt and it lengthened to a scythe that severed Salem's black tendrils, which evaporated like mist.

The Queen smiled and did not move against Qrow as he gathered Summer's body parts and fled. She recognized a mother when she saw one, and her next fight would be with Summer's children.

"Put yourself back together," Qrow pleaded outside the castle grounds. He tried to arrange the body parts into a coherent whole. He counted every muscle, nerve, artery, vein, everything scattered that could be put back together. Nothing moved, though Qrow knew Summer's brain was intact. His ringed fingers brushed over her broken heart and he wept. At least it wouldn't have hurt, a morbid thought flickered. But it did.

Qrow returned to Tai and Summer's humble house in Patch.

"Qrow," Tai's voice was warm, and Qrow smelled a pot roast and fresh cookies. "Welcome back. Where's Summer?"

Without a word, Qrow pulled out an urn containing their friend's ashes.

Qrow barely felt it, but his head wrenched to the side when Tai punched him. He didn't fight back. He'd let his Aura run out so he could feel all the pain Summer hadn't.

"You were supposed to bring her home!" Tai snarled. "She trusted you. I trusted you!"

"That's a lie," Qrow hissed. "You knew this would happen. You never trusted me."

Tai recoiled, and his eyes darted to the side. Yang ran through the foyer and threw herself onto Qrow. "Uncle Qrow! What are you carrying? Is that a present for us? Where's Mommy?"

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby squealed, waddling after her big sister.

"Sorry, kids, it's not a present," Qrow murmured, handing the urn to their father. "I should go."

"But dinner's ready!" Yang exclaimed. "Daddy cooked so much food for you and Mommy."

Ruby crowed, "Food!" When Qrow didn't reply, she whimpered, "Uncle Qrow? Where are you going?"

Qrow and Tai exchanged a look, and then Qrow crouched and put a hand on each girl's shoulder. "I'm a huntsman, so I'll be going on a lot of missions. There's a castle far away led by an evil queen. My mission will be to make sure she stays in that castle. It's dangerous work, girls, and your mom wouldn't want you to become huntresses like—like her."

Tai ruffled Yang's hair. "You'll be princesses."

"I don't want to be a princess," Yang muttered, pushing her father away. Qrow glanced up, surprised. Where had Tai placed the urn?

"I want to be a hero!" Ruby declared. "With castles and queens and..." she sniffed the air. The aroma of Tai's freshly cooked meal was tantalizing. "And food!"

The two girls dashed toward the kitchen. Qrow stood and nodded at Tai, and then turned to leave.

"You're welcome to check in between missions," Tai called out. "You'll always have a home here. I mean it."

"I know," Qrow said as he turned back. "I can't stay away too long, anyway. The girls are expecting souvenirs."

Tai grinned, and Qrow wondered how much strength it took to maintain a facade of warmth and amity when inside, Tai must have been as broken as him. "Don't leave me to raise them alone."

Qrow raised a hand in farewell.

Tai blinked, and then his teammate was gone, with only a single black feather drifting down to indicate he had ever been there.


End file.
